What’s the difference?
I am very excited to announce the release of my first book, In Partnership with Dogs. It serves as a primer for owners wanting to train their own therapy, service or emotional support dog, although the information is applicable to all dog owners. During the next few weeks, I will be delving into different aspects from the book.
Over the years I have been asked many times to certify dogs for therapy, service or emotional support work. This book began as a collection of email responses to these requests outlining the difference between these three terms, different forms of animal assisted interventions and the importance of training not only for the dog but more importantly for the human. Handler training is key to ensure your dog has a long, happy career and introduces a range of therapeutic options.
For professionals incorporating their own dogs into therapeutic services, organizations utilizing outside therapy teams in their programs, or handlers working with their dogs, applying the correct terminology and understanding the difference between the terms is vital not only for the integrity of the field but also to avoid miscommunications and ensure clear expectations for both animal and human.
Consistency, in the use of terminology, helps set standards for training and qualifications for teams, provides clarity to the public on the animal’s purpose, training and potential benefits, helps a handler select a suitable companion based on their final goal, and facilitates the collection of data.
The three terms therapy, service, and emotional support dog are sometimes used interchangeably by both professionals and owners, however, they are quite different. One main distinction is that of the three only the therapy dog is specifically chosen to have an affinity for and to interact with people other than the handler.
The difference between the terms are listed in the table below, followed by the different types of animal assisted interventions. These details may vary depending on your country of residence, therefore it is important to understand your local terminology and the definitions in areas you may be visiting.
| Service ANIMAL | Emotional Support Animal (ESA) | Therapy Animal |
| Working animal trained to perform a specific task to assist the handler with a medical condition or disability | Provide emotional support, and companionship to alleviate loneliness, depression and anxiety but do not require specialized training | Provide healing interactions and emotional support for people other than the handler to help improve their physical, social, emotional, and /or cognitive functioning |
| Requires extensive task based training | Basic to specific training depending on their role | Basic to specific training depending on the type of therapy |
| Restricted to dogs and miniature horses | Can include any kind of animal | Can include any kind of animal |
| Comfortable around people but their focus is the handler | Comfortable around people but their focus is the handler | Enjoy interacting with people in addition to the handler |
| In many countries they are legally defined and have special privileges to enter places animals are not normally allowed | Do not have the legal privileges of service animals | Do not have the legal privileges of service animals |
| Legislation governing the rights, privileges and whether or not certification is required, varies depending on the jurisdiction | To be considered an Emotional Support Animal they must be prescribed by a mental health professional | Depending on your location you may need to certify your dog for insurance purposes |
Different forms of Animal Assisted Interventions
The incorporation of animals in therapy can take many forms in Animal Assisted Interventions (AAI). This umbrella term covers various forms of therapeutic human-animal interventions within human services, health and education for the benefit of human participants. These different interactions have their own format and criteria.
| Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) | Animal Assisted Activities (AAA) | Animal Assisted Education (AAE) |
| Goal oriented with a specific intervention plan that is directed by a health or human service professional. | Informal visits and interaction with no specific goal. Health professional or therapist is not required. | Goal oriented, planned intervention delivered by an educational or related service professional to stimulate interest or motivation for learning. |
| Incorporated in an individual’s treatment plan to promote physical, cognitive, emotional and / or social improvement. | Purpose is recreation, entertainment, improved quality of life or motivation. | Interactions are focused on academic goals, social skills and / or cognitive functioning. |
| The intervention is measured, evaluated and documented. | Progress is not measured. | Interactions are measured and documented. |
| An example would be an occupational therapist incorporating short walks with a trained dog for a client working on increasing mobility. | An example would be visits to rest homes or hospice. | An example would be a formal reading to animals program which provides children an opportunity to practice their reading out loud. |